Sarah Kolell

When Hallmark first marketed recordable greeting cards in 1994, they apparently were not ready for prime time.

Since they were reintroduced for Mother’s Day earlier this year, paired with the greeting card company’s popular Sound Cards, they have apparently hit their mark.

Spokeswoman Sarah Kolell said Hallmark was able to “use technological innovations that maybe weren’t available or profitable (before) and do some different things” to create the new Recordable Cards With Music line.

The privately held company’s Sound Cards line, which includes more than 500 designs and songs, had been a winner in the two years since it went on sale, according to a 2008 Associated Press report.

While Hallmark doesn’t break out sales figures for the cards, according to the story, it said the line helped spark an 8 percent rise in companywide revenue to $4.4 billion in 2007.

Combined with a 3 percent rise in card sales in 2006, the Sound Cards have helped the company turn around a business that had remained flat for several years as e-mails and e-cards became more popular, according to a published report.

Kathy Krassner, editor-in-chief of Greetings etc. magazine, said Hallmark’s line could follow the popularity of Sound Cards.

“As technology gets better, the opportunity to sell these types of products also increases,” she said in a telephone interview.

Barbara Hestand, owner of Barbara’s Hallmark on Market Street, said the line has “done quite well” at her store.

“They’re always coming out with new things,” she said, “and we appreciate that.”

The line began with Mother’s Day and Father’s Day cards and now has expanded across the greeting-card spectrum.

Last week, Barbara’s Hallmark had three recordable birthday cards and one each honoring moms and dads with embedded tunes such as “When You’re Smiling” and “Shine on.”

“People like to send their own personal message” and “get a message from their loved ones,” Ms. Hestand said.

The technology allows buyers to record up to 10 seconds of voice before a song clip of music by an original artist is played. As with Sounds Cards, the recorded message and song clip play whenever the card is opened.

Once a card is purchased, the buyer removes a piece of perforated card stock and presses a button. Similar to an answering machine, when the buyer hears the beep, he or she records the voice clip.

Buyers can record as many times as necessary until they are satisfied with the recording, according to Ms. Kolell.

The Hallmark spokeswoman said the company rolled out the recordable cards line by providing children and families at several military bases with cards for Mother’s Day. She said she was able to work with children at Fort Campbell, Ky., to make recordings for their mothers who were deployed abroad.

Ms. Kolell said one mother who had been abroad told her, had such cards have been available to be sent to her, she would have opened them when she went to bed at night and when she got up in the morning.

“You realize a product we make has the ability to make such a huge difference,” she said. “This is something that has a great ability to touch someone.”

Ms. Kolell said Hallmark is the first company to make recordable music cards “a commercially viable option,” but it isn’t the only retailer of such cards.

American Greetings is reportedly experimenting with recordable cards. Online, such cards also may be found at www.soundexpressiongreetings.com/index.html and www.gmkmg.com/recordables.htm.

Comments